Kamala Harris’ maternal grandfather, PV Gopalan, was born over a century ago in the village of Thulasendrapuram in Tamil Nadu.
As voting for the US presidential election 2024 is set to take place on November 5, prayers were held in her native village of Thulasendrapuram in Tamil Nadu for Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris’s success.
Kamala Harris’ maternal grandfather, PV Gopalan, was born over a century ago in the village of Thulasendrapuram in Tamil Nadu, southern India.
Gopalan and his family migrated a few hundred kilometres to Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, where he worked as a senior government official until his retirement.
He later relocated to Zambia, where he worked as a diplomat for the Indian government. Harris’s mother, Shyamala Gopalan, grew up mostly away from the village and eventually went to the US for higher education.
Thulasendrapuram gained global attention four years ago when its residents prayed for the victory of Harris Democratic Party in 2020. They celebrated her swearing-in as US vice president by lighting firecrackers and distributing food.
Despite having few physical connections to her roots, Harris cherishes her heritage, influenced by stories and memories of her family’s activism and strength.